“Great to have someone like that on the pitch.”

BVB trainer Edin Terzic took spacial care to praise Emré Can for shouldering a versatile role after Sunday night’s victory over Leverkusen. 

With a rather conservative set of tactics, Borussia Dortmund were able to ensure that their perfect start to 2023 continued on Sunday night. Speaking to the DAZN microphones after the 2-0 victory over Leverkusen, BVB trainer Edin Terzic explained that he needed his players to both follow instructions and adjust quickly in order to square off against a Bayer side that could line up in most any way with returnee Florian Wirtz.
“We honestly couldn’t figure out how they would start,” Terzic told his interviewer afterwards, “That’s why I had to have Emré Can at the [solo] six. With Emre in this position, we always have the option of getting him between the two center-backs.”

Can rose to the occasion and fulfilled this task. Unlike last week against Augsburg, when Salih Özcan struggled mightily to handle the FCA counter on his own in the solo six slot, Dortmund were able to keep an admittedly playful and often dangerous Werkself side from doing as much damage. Can drifted back to help center-backs Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle quite a bit.

In the twilight of his career, no longer in the discussion for the German national team, and rapidly declining in value, the versatile 29-year-old still has plenty of uses, as per Terzic. Can himself has admitted that it’s been a rough season for him. The winning head-coach gleamed when speaking of player who helped his side “gain complete control of the game.”

“It’s great to have someone like that on the pitch,” Terzic said of his all-purpose-weapon.

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